Wednesday, March 08, 2006

A Day in the Life

Another noon release day today -- sorry, no lunch box!

Instead, a few of you have been asking what Little shmoo eats when he's not at school, so today I thought I'd pay a bit of attention and give you an example of a full day's food for my growing seven-year-old. Now I'm not saying it's perfect, or ideal, or whatever, so don't nit-pick it to death -- it's just what today was like. Tomorrow will be another day. Okay, here we go (most of the foods were organic, if I could get it)...

Mid-morning snack at school: the leftover Twinkie Dog (chosen over fruit or a fruit-nut bar).

Lunch at home: big bowl of mixed green salad (romaine, spinach, red cabbage, carrot, half an apple, and freshly cracked walnuts) with his favorite salad dressing; a bowl of broccoli Cheeze Please soup (a creamy soup made from potato, carrots, silken tofu, and nutritional yeast and topped with steamed broccoli -- from Jo Stepaniak's Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook); some more walnuts (he likes to sit at the kitchen counter and crack them) and a large handful of unsalted sunflower seeds (so he could pretend he was a squirrel).

Snack: two bowls of vanilla soy yogurt mixed with slices of banana, frozen blueberries, and frozen cherries (chosen over a peanut butter sandwich or a kiwi fruit).

Dinner: two big bowls of brown rice mixed with black beans & corn, topped with cubed avocado and steamed zucchini (he turned his nose up at our Yumm! sauce, and sprinkled his with Bragg's and Spike instead); a fresh pear; calcium-fortified orange juice.

Late-night snack: baked Kettle Chips with ranch-flavored bean dip.

In between bites he went to school, went shopping with me, engaged in mortal combat with his friend H-Bomb, played volleyball at the gym, did homework, read books, whined his way through some chores, and play-wrestled with his dad.

You can see that I usually give him two or three healthy things to choose from, especially at snack time. I think choices are important. Would he choose meat if that was an option? No, he wouldn't -- it happens sometimes he always politely refuses. Ah, but would he choose candy and soda pop if I had listed that as an option? Absolutely -- in a heartbeat! But we don't have those things in the house, so the idea didn't come up. Was he sad and deprived because of this? No, in fact he had a very happy day today, and I think he's generally happier and healthier than he would be on the typical American diet.

And so the sun goes down on another vegan-friendly day in the life of a shmoo...

65 comments:

Jennifer, way to go on raising your son in such a healthy way. Sure, people can nitpick all they like, but ignore them. I'm vegetarian, hoping to go vegan, but I have to be honest: I loved yogurt and cheese sooooo much.I wish my diet was as healthy as little Shmoo's.

Yeah thanx for the insight!! I was curious about what else he ate also. Very healthy!! I can't imagine not having a t.v. though. What do you do when you just need a quiet moment? I love the hour when my kids sit in front of the t.v. right after dinner!! They are watching an educational show and I can clean up in peace!! You do have only one kid though..so that might make it a bit easier! Anyway you are a great parent and I love your lunches!!

Hello,Just have to say I love all your dishes and all your choices that you give to your son. As to the Nitpickers "if they don't have anything nice to say..."

You mentioned multi-vitamin.. My little Veg just turned 3 and I was wondering at what age did you start the multi-vitamin, and did you find one brand better then another. My Lil'Veg has a sensitive stomach and skin, so I was nervous to introduce the vitamins that could possibly have so many ingredients (even the vegan ones)... Any thoughts?

Sorry forgot to mention, that my son has been healthy up to this point. And the doc said not to worry about vitamins even with his veg diet. He said not to change a thing as good as he was doing. But he just got the flu for the first time, and hasn't been eating much at all.. Which got me again wondering about vitamins... Anyway, if you remember the age you started or the brand with the least problems...Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Also I've been looking for one of those Twinkie Kits and can't find one. I may resort to a Corn Bread pan? Of course not the same but close as I can get to make your yummy snacks and these Twinkie Dogs.

Holy wow, that kid eats a lot! Haha, I know he's tall for his age and li'l ones can often be bottomless pits. I love how nearly all of his fatty foods are the "right" fats -- Omega 3's (flax and Earth Balance) or nuts/seeds/avocados.

That's great about the salad. :op (I need to eat some vegetables.)

All of that looks yummy, and seems not to involve a ridiculous amount of work.

Hi, anonymous! I'd like to answer your TV question a bit. I'm a nanny for a family that doesn't have a TV and never has, and there are plenty of quiet moments! The kids like to draw, play with Legos, splash around outside in puddles, play with dolls, build forts, etc. They are very good at keeping themselves busy with whatever projects they have going on. They also like to help me in the kitchen! Of course, it'd probably be harder if they had been raised with a TV in the house, but they've never had one, so they recognize when I (or their parents) need quiet time, and usually they themselves need that time, too.

Hi, vegmom! Re. vitamins, right now he's taking VegLife Vegan Kids Multiple. But when they're gone I plan to get some "Pixie-Vites" from Dr. Fuhrman's website:

http://drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx

They're a bit more expensive, but they're specifically designed for kids on a healthy, mostly vegan diet who don't need mega-amounts of anything, and no vitamin A or beta carotene (studies are showing problems with synthetic vitamin A, and he gets so much from his food he really doesn't need it). Also I love Dr. Fuhrman's "Gentle Care" vitamins for adults; they're literally the only vitamin I've ever found that didn't make me nauseous. So his vitamins might be a good choice for your little one with a sensitive stomach.

I also forgot to mention shmoo gets a drop of Dr. Fuhrman's vegan DHA oil every day, too (fish oil without the fish!).

Re. the Twinkie pan, perhaps you could use a regular muffin pan and cut smaller pieces of the veggie dog? Then I guess they'll be "muffin dogs"!

>>I can't imagine not having a t.v. though. What do you do when you just need a quiet moment?

He reads quietly a lot. He reads at a 3rd grade level now, and I think not having a TV has a lot to do with that.

>>Holy wow, that kid eats a lot!

You're telling me! He eats more than my husband or I! We joke that when he gets to be a teenager we'll need to buy a second refrigerator.

>>All of that looks yummy, and seems not to involve a ridiculous amount of work.

Thanks. It didn't feel like a lot of work today; some days I get much more "gourmet" but today I kept it simple. The Cheeze soup was leftover from yesterday, so I just steamed fresh broccoli and made the salad. At dinner I used leftover brown rice and canned beans, then used canned beans again to whir up the bean dip.

What you serve to your little Schmoo is pretty much like what I serve to my two little daughters. If only all kids would eat what you offer Schmoo...! My two are vegan by birth and I offer a whole foods diet to my family. They have never experienced junky food outside of pretzels, corn chips or fruit leather and don't know about candy or conventional soda pop. When my oldest is offered animal products, she says "No thank you...the animals are my friends."

I operate a micro eco-farm growing heirloom produce and I sell all kinds of cool dried heirloom beans and whole grains so my girls get more of a kick eating these as snacks than eating another type of unwholesome junky snacky food! ;)

The multivitamin that I give to both daughters is the children's Vegan Multi from VegLife. Sugar free, tastes good, and it has all that my children need to supplement their diet.

I broke down and bought the Twinkie kit at Bed, Bath and Beyond last night after I read about those Twinkie Dogs you made. Then I made them for my meal after sunset (am Bahai, currently on The Fast, can't eat or drink from sun-up till sundown) and had three of them with ketchup and yellow mustard, homemade potato wedges and a vanilla Soy Dream shake! Way too good! I got the last kit on the shelf. I wonder how many times BB&B have run out of these kits across the country since you have made those vegan twinkies and now the twinkie dogs...! LOL

We watch television, but only PBS and gentle videos for a total of 1-2 hours a day. We don't watch the main networks and don't want cable. I don't let my kids hang out in front of the TV no more than 20 minutes at one time without some kind of movement to break up the constant stimulation of the screen. My oldest is in PreK all day and my youngest bums around with me often tuning out the TV, turning the pages of her board books, learning to put on her shoes and doodling with crayon on paper and on...!

dont any of you ever worry that micro-managing what your kid eats/watches/does will turn them into rebellious teens and/or neurotic adults? many of you seem well intentioned but remember not to overdo it, for your kids' sake

Oh, I don't believe that I am micro-managing my children. It's a lifestyle that my husband and I have lived for over 20 years, so it is old hack.

I have never been more grounded since becoming veg, and oh my, was I a rebellious meat-and-dairy eating teenager! I wish that my parents would have raised me vegetarian. I believe that raising a child veg is a true gift that we could ever give to them. We don't make our lifestyle seem "weird" at all for our daughters and likewise, our kids don't make it seem "weird" to other people.

My daughters are extremely healthy, vibrant, and do other things that other children do like play soccer, go to dance class, play at the playground, go to school, occasionally play a computer game, play dress up, sometimes watch a little TV, and well, just be sweet little girls.

Do I have control over what they watch on TV? Yes. Do I control what they eat...well, no. I don't want to be in control...I want to teach them good eating habits and introduce delicious foods that will help them make healthy food choices for life. As a momma, I teach them that good vegan food can taste great and not come from animals. I try to make connections between where their food comes from -- from farm to fork.

It is my hope that they will continue to make these food choices and pass them along to their families or to others. Will they have a chance later to make a decision to consume animal products? Yes. But right now? no.

Well I am assured that there is another kid out there that eats as much as my 3 year old does. I get the feeling he's eating all day! We are a Omni household but I do try and keep an eye on what he does eat. I give him choices too, but they are healthy choices (OK I know on a vegan blog an omni saying "healthy" can be relative ;-)). I have been living in Germany for the past 12 years. Although in the beginning I found that the lifestyle here was great, very helathy and so very European, I am beginning to worry that the American lifestyle is taking over. I was brought up partly in the US so I have seen the difference in lifestyle first hand. Europeans are brought up eating healthier and have a completely different relation to food and mealtimes. But with this American take over I notice more and more processed foods in the stores, fast food seems to be the way to go. That's why it is important to me that Soeren is integrated in these choices from the beginning. He shops with me at our daily organic food market, he helps me prepare meals and we talk about the "good" and the "bad" stuff. Yes, we do go to the American burger joints that seem to be shooting up from the ground at a crazy pace. But then I make a burger at home, with yummier stuff. Hey you know what ... Soeri prefers MacMum's to the other place;-)

As for the T.V. choice. That is something else I have often talked about with other mums at the KIGA (short for Kindergarten in Germany)! Soeren watches T.V. but never alone and only a half hour a day. There are days when he does not watch any at all and others we rent a kiddie cartoon DVD and make a family event out of it. This is once again about choices. I don't appreciate it when parents say "NO" and that was it. I believe if you show your kids from the beginning that they can make their choices but mum and dad GUIDE me along the way they grow up to be better people. So, if Soeren says he wants to watch a little extra T.V. after supper, I say "OK your choice more T.V. but then we miss out on the bed time story, or bed time story and maybe a little extra T.V. on the weekend" Guess what he picks? Yup ... the bed time story!

Whatever your lifestyle is: Vegan, Omni, Veg etc. just think about one thing our little ones are so innocent and we are the ones responsible to mould them and shape them. Don't force anything on them let them choose and guide them towards their choices by showing them what they can achieve on their own.

Thank you very much for your Vitamin thoughts! I will look in to those and give a try!!! I honestly don't know anyone in the area that has raised a veggie little one so all your thoughts are helpful as I figure out what works best from day to day!

I love your blog! It's so educational and wonderful. I also just wanted to say that I don't think your son eats too much - it seems like a lot of people like to comment on the amount, but it's because he's not burning through 600 calories of cheese doodles and soda on the couch when he gets home from school (like I did as a kid). It takes a lot of steamed broccoli and fruit to make 600 calories (as I now know, having a happy veg family of my own).

You should feel really proud of the good work you are doing with and for your son.Peace! And thanks for sharing!

I love your blog -- I am getting lots of great ideas from it for my own little vegan kid (just turned 4). She is in preschool all day, so I pack a lunch for her and it is challenging to come up with decent ideas all of the time. Like lots of kids, she can be picky so I often find my choices limited. She's getting better, though, and is (finally) interested in trying new foods.

I loved seeing what Schmoo ate in one day. I don't know if it is something with vegan kids or not, but my girl eats an incredible amount (she is about 50th percentile for height and weight so not huge for her age). Her teachers have commented on it as well. Repeatedly. I don't know what I'm going to do when she is a teenager! Between her and hubby (also vegan), I'll be cooking all day.

Jennifer, I can't imagine anyone nit-picking this varied, healthy, tasty mix of meals and snacks(well, I'm sure some people would nit-pick, but we won't talk about them...)!! :) Love the bit about him pretending to be a squirrel!

I'm totally on your side about television. I mean, you could be giving him healthy food for his body but feed him all sorts of junk via the tv. "No TV" is not really depriving the kids.- It is making them thoughtful beings. It is giving them more options and interesting things to discover that they wouldn't have known if they're just sitting in front of the screen digesting everything like white flour and refined sugar.

Thanks, Jenn for sharing this. I can always draw something from your posts!

I love this site! You are doing a great job with your son and are inspiring me (a new struggling vegan). I miss ranch dip/dressing so much. Can you share your recipe? Thanks and keep up the great work!

i always thought the calcium fortified orange juice (tropicana brand) wasn't vegan because the the calcium was a dirivitive of milk, but it turns out it isn't vegan because they somehow use sheeps skin in it. i'll have to ask my friend more about it. so if you are using tropicanan calcium fortified OJ i would look into that. also, i've been dying for a veggie corndog ever since i made the jump from veg to vegan and now i may have to go out and get that pan. i also really want to try and make that quiche!

I love your site! I'm not even into the whole vegan thing, but I think it's great to give your kids a good start by eating right. Even if you weren't packing such an uber-healthy lunch, I'd still give you snaps for being so creative!

Shmoo eats a very healthy diet and will be better off than most American children who eat sugar cereal for breakfast, candy for snack, Lunchables and cookies for lunch, and McDonalds for dinner. I teach first grade and trust me, that aren't enough parents out there that "micro-manage" their children to ensure they are eating a healthy diet and learning good food choices! And it isn't about vegan/non-veg.---even omnis could teach their children about healthy food choices, but for some reason most don't. At least most vegetarians/vegans seem to be more choosy about what goes in their bodies and their children's bodies. Not to say that some Omnis aren't, it just hasn't been my experience...

I too am a mom that is concerned about her children's dietary intake, though an "omni." While my kids are younger than Shmoo, I try to appeal to them in a four basic food group sense too which can be tough with my picky little on. I am impressed by your desire to offer him so many options. You must be a cooking fiend! I was wondering though, about the lunch box and it's compartments. I love it and would like something similar, but where to find?

HI, I dont understand something. Is your son just a vegan because of choice or because of a health issue? If it is by choice, we have a problem here. Before the Noahetic Flood, God only had us eat the fruits and veges as well as the herbs of the field. After the Flood God Then allowed his people to eat meat. I am only saying, God does not suggest at all this habbit. So, with all that said, I hope that you will look further into this and really consider this a challenge. You can look up me on this site: http://InDefenseofFaith.tripod.com

Wow! It's so awesome to see what Shmoo eats over a whole day! My mom was never a huge meat eater so dinner always had lots of veggies and tofu and such. (We're Japanese) Thanks to her, I've grown up liking fruits and vegetables and much more inclined to eat healthy. As for TV, we had a TV but I never really watched it as a child, aside from some anime and some movies. I might have been too busy doing other things. =)

Kudos to raising a healthy kid, Jennifer!

And Douglas-- There are many vegan Christans and Jews. The whole "God wanting us to eat meat" is really a matter of interpretation of the Bible, as is everything.

I have called the Tropicana company regarding their Calcium OJ, and you're right on target. It's not the Calcium, but the Vitamin D, in the juice that is the problem. The Vitamin D is derived from lanolin, which is an oil that comes from the skin of a sheep and is therefore not vegan (though it is, apparently, vegetarian, as it's a wool product not a slaughter one).

Similar warning--8th Continent Soymilk also contains D that comes from lanolin.

Hi, Douglas,This is not my blog and the question was not directed at me, but I thought I'd point something out. You're right on target when you say that "Before the Noahetic Flood, God only had us eat the fruits and veges as well as the herbs of the field. After the Flood God Then allowed his people to eat meat," and I think you should see the paradox: Humans were *originally* intended to be vegan; after the Flood, they were *permitted* to eat meat, but it was never *required*. Therefore, vegans are actually stepping back towards Eden, which I think none who believe in the God you talk about can argue against. God "permits" a lot of things in the Judeo-Christian bible, but that doesn't mean they are requisite.

Also, I don't think any diety, no matter what you believe, would find excuse for the way *modern* agriculture treats animals, which, after all, if you are religious, are "God's creatures."

Also thought I'd point out that you have no reason to believe the Schmoo family to be either Christian or Jewish, and other faiths may not agree with what you talk about regarding the Flood. Religion is, generally speaking, not a good argument FOR or AGAINST veganism (I've also heard arguments that Jesus was a vegetarian, and say the same thing). And, regardless of what they believe, I have never seen *any* religion advocate cruelty to any animal, so if anything, religion would be better applied to support veganism rather than diffuse it.

I just wanted you to know that I absolutely ADORE this blog. It's amazing. I check it regularly and am blown away all the time.

I'm a vegetarian, not a vegan, nearly a year now, woo hoo! And I live in Texas, so that's fun. You definitely have to be a bit laid-back to be veg in Texas, meat surrounds me.

But I wanted to address something about meat analogues in another thread: I was never that much into meat to begin with, so giving it up really wasn't difficult. I didn't eat it that much even when I was omni. So the analogues don't appeal to me much, besides the occasional black bean "burger" heated and crumbled up into a soft taco (mmmm!). Other than that, nah.

Another thing that helped was that I have not ever in my life found a vegetable that I don't like. I'm serious. I haven't tried rutabega yet, so I don't know about that, but I've tried just about everything and could eat veggies all day long, happily.

Sorry, rambling. I have sent the link to your blog to all my friends and family and even my omni friends have gotten a lot of great ideas from here. Hey the less meat they consume the better, right?

Keep up the good work and schmoo is a VERY very lucky kid to have you as a mom.

(Oh we own TVs, but I've never been much of a TV watcher and my 11 year old daughter isn't, either. We're usually too busy doing other stuff to watch TV.)

Speaking of non-vegan stuff lurking in apparently vegan food items, I wish there were a simple symbol on things so the consumer could tell in one second if they are looking at something that is organic, vegetarian, vegan, etc. I don't know why some organization hasn't done this. Not the government, obviously, since they'd let all sorts of crap in under exceptions.

Karen Anne, some products have a heart with a V on it that means vegan. Or the heart has a V in it. Or the V is shaped like a heart. I have seen many versions. Also, of course when it says Vegan, it is. You can also look for Kosher products (those listed with a K or the word Parve). Still check the ingredients, but most are vegan.

>>Just recently a grandparent asked one of them if they wouldn’t like a TV for their upcoming birthday. He looked at Grandpa funny and said, “When would I watch it?” and ran outside to play.

Oh, that really made me laugh out loud -- how great is that?

Just to clarify, we do have a DVD player and screen in our basement, so we do watch family shows sometimes.

I decided to take out the "watch TV" line, because I didn't really mean to convey the idea that all TV was bad, that's really here-nor-there. What I was trying to convey was the idea that I think it's important to offer choices, but to have all the choices be healthy ones. If candy and soda pop are one of the choices, they will practically always win out over the healthy things (at least with most of the kids I know it will).

Last time I checked, teenagers rebel against ANYTHING you give them. In fact, my first experiences with vegetarianism where to upset my parents when I was 13. Nearly a decade later, my reasoning has changed, but my point here is that you can't live every second worrying about what's going to go wrong in the future. We all raise our children to the best of our ability and do the best we know how to give them a good life.

My children are almost grown now. I can tell you that your children aren't going to rebel because you teach them how to eat properly, and allow them to develop the skills required to entertain themselves without having to be stimulated constantly. They WILL rebel if you don't spend regular, real time with them (read: not in front of a television), if you don't have anything to teach them, or if you don't model what you teach them.

I'm not a vegetarian, although I was one as a teenager. Two of my children have chosen to be vegetarians, although neither is a vegan. However, we eat an all organic diet, and our animal products are only from animals treated humanely (free range, grass fed, etc.). This is all personal choices we make. The key is, as the wonderful author of the blog points out, offering your children choices - based on your own philosophy of living. That said, how can non-food food be a choice if you're trying to raise healthy children? The most religious I get about this is that if God didn't make it, we won't be eating it.

You're doing a wonderful job, Jennifer! I click in every day to see what you served, even though my children are too old for me to be making their lunches anymore. As a teacher, I can say I wish everyone fed their children as you do. I firmly believe that almost every behavioral/attentional problem we have in our schools is diet-related.

Schmoo,I love your blog its amazing. I have just come back to vegetarianism and want to aspire to become vegan one day. I have already made the decision that my future children will be vegetarians. I babysit and am a full time nanny for numerous young children and am usually appalled at what they eat. One of the children I sit for will only eat one of five things (mac and cheese, PBnJ, hotdogs, or chick fil a happy meals). He gagged the first time I requested he eat vegetables with his meal. Literally gagged. When did people begin to think that it was completely okay to feed your children junk 24-7?

One other questions.

When is your cookbook coming out? I will be one of your first customers for sure!

Still a big fan. I admire your diligence - keeping a food diary for even one day can be tough! As a liberal who loves rock music, and being the opposite of my parents in both those regards, I always wondered whether my kids would turn into boot-scootin' rightists to rebel! You just have to do what my parents did and what you're doing - your best. Passing on your own values is part of that, and if they don't stick, well, we do have to each find out own path eventually. Says the childless ovo-lacto-vegetarian! I love your blog helping me think more vegan; I always want to work in more vegan recipes.

I kind of enjoy keeping my food diary-- even if it is kind of annoying sometimes. Without a cool vegan mom to monitor my nutrition, it gives me the opportunity to reflect on my nutrition and tweak for the next day as I see fit!

First of all, I want to say I think you're doing a lot of terrific things here -- making sure that your son both has great meals at and away from home, teaching him good habits and decision making skills, and serving as an inspiration for veg and omni alike!

But I do want to address something that you said. You said, "would he choose candy and soda pop if I had listed that as an option? Absolutely -- in a heartbeat!" When I was growing up, my mother never kept those things around, and I never had a taste for them. I refused them when they were offered, never asked for soda when we ate out, etc. These habits have deteriorated a bit in adulthood, I have to admit, but I still eat far less sweets and drink much less sugary drinks than many of my friends, and I know a few others raised in similar circumstances who feel the same.

I remember some cases when you've told us that lil shmoo has prefered the healthier treats over the pure-sugar stuff, but if given the choice do you really think he would accept all the sweets and junk he could eat? I wouldn't have expected that!

>>if given the choice do you really think he would accept all the sweets and junk he could eat? I wouldn't have expected that!

Oooh, yes he would. We learned early on that he will eat, eat, and eat candy until he's ill. This has nothing to do with his diet by the way -- he was exactly the same back in his meat-eating days. It seems everywhere you go these days adults are offering kids suckers, hard candies, etc., and I truly think some kids get "hooked" like it's a drug. I know a friend whose daughter can take or leave it, or eat it only in moderation, so maybe it's a predisposition you inherit. My son really, really loves sugar. We don't ban it outright but we try to keep it to a minimum, because he makes himself miserable (and miserable to be around) if we don't.

I just wanted to jump in on the TV comment (that is now gone). I'm 20 and living on my own, outside of college. My roommate and I have a TV so we can watch movies, if we like to. But that's it. No cable. No extensive DVD collections. No borrowing or buying a lot of movies. I watch about 3 DVDs a month (usually on my computer) and download one TV show during it's season. (Dr. Who, which didn't even air in the US! I bought the first season as soon as the DVD was made available so they aren't losing money on me.)

My parents were firm believers in the way of the TV. We didn't watch during dinner, but we watched before and after. TV rules their life, still. But I made the choice to not own one, not have cable, and not get into watching one. And you know what? It's great. So worth my time and effort. I turn to the radio or newspaper for news and spend time online writing or playing crosswords. Or knitting with my radio.

I think you guys are going right with the TV thing. Shmoo will might go rebellious on you, re: TV when he hits his teens or college years...but I have no doubt that he'll realize how dumb TV can be. It really is a time sucker! I don't regret not having one and am so glad this was my choice. Keep up the actual parenting! What a rare trait!

Thanks for the insight about the sugar question. It's very interesting to me. I don't see little Shmoo getting a ton of conventional candy and such -- little to no soda, candy as a treat (which I think is very important, especially at his age, an emphasis on healthy but good-tasting snacks and desserts -- all of that closely mirros my own eating habits as a child, and now as an adult, I simply have very little tolerance or desire for much sugar, and never have.

>>You mentioned that Shmoo gets calcium-fortified OJ. Where do you get that? The brands I've seen don't promise its not from an animal source.

Hi, Marisa -- sorry I forgot to answer your question! Organic Valley makes calcium-fortified orange juice made with calcium citrate (which is the tricalcium salt of citric acid -- vegan and a very highly absorbable form of calcium), and contains no vitamin D.

This is an amazing look into the life of a healthy vegan child!! It's trully wonderful- especially the fact that omni people are recognizing your wonderful efforts. I often get comments about my kids missing out on meat, ice cream, candy and soda. When you make the effort to feed your children wonderful food (minus tha animal bits) they don't ever miss out on anything. The best part is that you are teaching them that they can make healthful choices and still eat delicious food!! I agree though- if given the choice of candy or soda- it always wins.

Are you thinking of adopting any more kids? If so, I'm available. I also have a son so you would be an instant grandma. Oh, by the way can you also adopt my wife since she would be a little ticked if you left her out.

Hi, Jennifer. Did I tell you I got the vita-mix? Well, I did and it's great! I've been experimenting with all kinds of smoothies. The fruit ones usually come out great, not so much the desserty ones. In one of your posts, you mentioned hemp milk. I thought I would go the extra mile and get hemp protein powder and put it in chocolate shake type smoothies for my daughter. Well, that didn't work out well. It's kinda clumpy. Now I'm thinking soy protein powder or brown rice protein powder. In this post, you mention using brown rice protein powder in a smoothie. Do you think it would work in a chocolate one? It's not overpowering, is it? Thanks!